Rundu, the capital of the Kavango East region, is Namibia’s second-largest urban area, with 118 632 inhabitants.
This is according to data from the 2023 census report published on Wednesday.
Since the last census in 2011, Rundu has experienced an annual growth rate of 5.2%.
Windhoek takes the top spot, with 486 301 residents, having grown at 3.3% annually.
Walvis Bay (102 592 inhabitants), Swakopmund (75 921) and Oshakati (58 656) are the next largest towns, according to the report.
Walvis Bay grew at 4.2% per year, while Swakopmund grew at 4.4% annually. The annual growth rate recorded at Oshakati is 3.9%.
Namibia’s urban population has grown at an annual rate of 4.1% since the last census.
In total, 1 512 685 Namibians live in urban areas, up from 919 919 in 2011. This corresponds to an increase of 64.4%.
The highest annual growth rates were recorded at Nkurenkuru at 23.6% and Divundu at 17.1%. However, Nkurenkuru remains the smallest regional capital, with 10 463 inhabitants.
This is compared to 618 residents recorded in the 2011 census for the Kavango West regional capital.
The regions with the highest urbanisation levels are Khomas (98.3%), Erongo (90%) and Hardap (74.3%).
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